JODY'S LETTER

A Message From Jody

I want you to know that I am a survivor of domestic violence. Not physical violence but emotional violence--what I call “micro-wounding”. Micro-wounds are those small wounds to the psyche of silencing, demeaning, ridiculing, blowing off what is important to you, stepping on your dreams… Micro-wounding is an epidemic in our society. It exists in the halls of corporate America and in our homes. Children micro-wound as part of their everyday language because micro-wounding is now part of our normal vernacular.

I want you to know that I still haven’t quite recovered from that experience of domestic violence. I am trying, but my core trust… a sweet innocence has died.

That is why PeaceKeeper is weaving social justice throughout our mission. We are not just another profit-seeking company out to make founders and investors rich. We are a platform for women to share our stories about what real love is, what real peace looks like, what it means to truly collaborate and how not to engage with abusive people in our lives.

Our tongue and cheek slogan (that we borrowed from the incomparable Maryanne Williamson) is “we don’t break for jerks”. But as a peace activist and a student of what real love looks like, I would rather find and hold the compassion for those wounded people and move on and be with men and women who lift me up.

Therefore, peacekeeping is about looking deeper and finding compassion. It's about creating a clear idea of how we want to be treated as women--and accepting no less.

The thing about wounds is that they are a type of initiation. "Oh," I say, "I survived even this." I am a wounded healer now, the same way we all are. That is why it is so important for us to share our experience about how we moved past victimhood into empowerment. I call this "sister-talk": helping each other learn about red flags and move past unhealthy relationships into a life filled with self-love and love from others around us.

Love... love without an agenda. Love, sweet love. That is what real PeaceKeeping is about.

Please blog with me about what real love is to you. Let's figure this out together. If we don't, who will?